Activation of surface oxygen sites on an iridium-based model catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction

Alexis Grimaud (), Arnaud Demortière, Matthieu Saubanère, Walid Dachraoui, Martial Duchamp, Marie-Liesse Doublet and Jean-Marie Tarascon
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Alexis Grimaud: Chimie du Solide et de l’Energie
Arnaud Demortière: Réseau sur le Stockage Electrochimique de l’Energie (RS2E)
Matthieu Saubanère: Chimie du Solide et de l’Energie
Walid Dachraoui: Réseau sur le Stockage Electrochimique de l’Energie (RS2E)
Martial Duchamp: Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons (ER-C) and Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI)
Marie-Liesse Doublet: Réseau sur le Stockage Electrochimique de l’Energie (RS2E)
Jean-Marie Tarascon: Chimie du Solide et de l’Energie

Nature Energy, 2017, vol. 2, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of prime importance in multiple energy storage devices; however, deeper mechanistic understanding is required to design enhanced electrocatalysts for the reaction. Current understanding of the OER mechanism based on oxygen adsorption on a metallic surface site fails to fully explain the activity of iridium and ruthenium oxide surfaces, and the drastic surface reconstruction observed for the most active OER catalysts. Here we demonstrate, using La2LiIrO6 as a model catalyst, that the exceptionally high activity found for Ir-based catalysts arises from the formation of active surface oxygen atoms that act as electrophilic centres for water to react. Moreover, with the help of transmission electron microscopy, we observe drastic surface reconstruction and iridium migration from the bulk to the surface. Therefore, we establish a correlation between surface activity and surface stability for OER catalysts that is rooted in the formation of surface reactive oxygen.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2016.189

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